Bachmann, Clark post massive quarter

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann has raised more than $4 million for her campaign against Democratic state Sen. Tarryl Clark, including an astonishing $1.7 million in the last quarter alone.

Bachmann received donations from more than 28,000 supporters since April 1, her campaign announced Wednesday. She had raised over $2.3 million earlier in the campaign, and the new money brings her total haul to more than $4.1 million.

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Clark has also brought in huge sums for the race. She has raised more than $910,000 since April 1, her campaign said Wednesday. The money came from more than 24,000 donors, who contributed just $54 on average.

But with $2 million raised so far, Clark is still well behind Bachmann, who, like Florida Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson, can draw on her national profile and online presence to haul in big money.

Clark’s campaign called its donors a “grass-roots army,” and Bachmann told her Twitter followers that the campaign has “truly been a grass-roots effort.” It will be at least a week, though, before reports will show whether the majority of either candidate’s donors are actually voters in Minnesota’s 6th District.

Clark’s camp has used its money to put up the first TV ad of the campaign — a spot attacking Bachmann over comments she made about the BP oil spill. Bachmann called the $20 billion claims fund set up for relief “extorting money” and said the company's leadership should not be “chumps” for the federal government as it tries to clean up the spill.